An Introduction to Sierra Leone
The Republic of Sierra Leone gained its independence in 1961 from the British, whose colony the area had been since 1808. It was devastated by a civil war which lasted from 1991 to 2002, leaving 75,000 people dead, and two million displaced. See full country profile.Latest Research News from Africa
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GOVERNMENT: constitutional democracy
AREA: 71,740 sq km
POPULATION: 5,363,669 (July 2011 est.)
MAJOR LANGUAGE: Official Language: English
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The Republic of Sierra Leone gained its independence in 1961 from the British, whose colony the area had been since 1808. It was devastated by a civil war which lasted from 1991 to 2002, leaving 75,000 people dead, and two million displaced.
British forces restored the civilian government in 2002, since when it has established a functioning democracy with 'free and fair' presidential elections. The country has substantial reserves of minerals and potential for oil money, if the new government can prioritise development, job creation and the stamping out of endemic corruption.
GDP: $4.72 billion (2010 est.) - $900 per capita (2010 est.)
Religions Muslim 60%, Christian 10%, indigenous beliefs 30%
Currency: Leone (SLL) $1 = SLL 6,943
Telephone Code: +232
Sierra Leone has a wealth of mineral and agricultural resources but is still suffering from the effects of the civil war and remains a poor country with tremendous inequality. Diamonds make up almost half of exports and are the main source of hard currency earnings. Long-term peace and continuing overseas aid are both said to be crucial to economic progress. Political stability has at least meant a revival of bauxite and rutile mining, while offshore oil discoveries were announced in 2009 and 2010.
The main exports are diamonds, rutile, coffee and fish, mostly going to Belgium, Romania, the Netherlands, Ivory Coast and the UK. Imports - mostly of food, machinery, fuel and chemicals - come from countries including South Africa, China, Malaysia, the US, the UK, Ivory Coast and India. 2010 totals are c.$360m and c.$605m respectively.
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